the office radio again
by Mabon reborn
Summary: it's chapter3 and 4 of my previous story the office radio. lots of pete in 3 and there is actually(don't kill me) some Lana and chloe bonding as friends (it was all my muse's idea!)
1. Default Chapter

A/N: this is my blow out chapter; I might have to up the rating simply because of Pete.  
  
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The next day came around, and Chloe greeted it with a rare smile, not being a morning person. She remembered the previous night again and found that avoiding Clark might not be as hard as she thought, if certain people dropped by more often. She thought that last night she had a fleeting glimpse of the real Lex Luthor, the one that wasn't all 'Corporate take over- Eccentric yet sexy bald man in the castle'. She hurried through her morning chores, nearly forgetting to wake her Dad to go to work, and got out just in time to catch the bus, since the tornado a week ago her car had been making a funny rattling noise. "Pete!" She cried happily, plopping down beside him, grinning wildly. "I see you're out of your Clark-induced slump, so what gives? Did you meet a guy?" "Just because you solve all your problems in the sack doesn't mean everyone else does," She quipped happily. Pete gave her shoulder a friendly shove. "So no guy?" "Well," She thought, "technically there was a guy, but not in the same context that your thinking of," "So you didn't get any?" "No Pete! You can be so crude, very much a throw-back at times," she stated bitingly. Pete smiled happily, Chloe was being snarky again, which lead him to believe something had happened concerning Clark. "Was this guy that did not seduce you tall with dark hair?" he prodded. "No." "Ok, ok, I'll put more description into it. Was he tall, raven haired, irresistibly handsome, and charming, so that in your sadness, his wonderful smile disarmed the guard you have around your heart and you fell madly in love with him?" *tall, yes. No hair whatsoever, irresistibly handsome, oh yes. And charm, well, the man in question is literally dripping with it. And yes, he does have a fantastic smile.* Chloe found herself smiling in spite of the corniness of it all. "Pete, you sound like a walking romance novel. The kind most women hide in crumpled paper bags." She snarked. "Why thank-you. Women have a tendency to fall for passionate writers." "That's nice Pete. Just don't go around making me blush." And with that, Pete had found his new mission for the day. To make Chloe blush with his sordid tales of midnight trysts. "And our raven haired hero wrapped his strong arms about your waist, pulled you closer into an all consuming embrace. The only light came from the glowing iMac screens, and you felt yourself give in to his simple seduction, as he pulled you down near the coffee, trailing hot kisses down your neck making a fire rise inside-" "Alright Pete!" Chloe announced as the stepped into the halls of Smallville High. Pete really did have a way with words, and she couldn't help the images that floated to the surface when he spoke his lurid imaginings. Only the hero wasn't Clark every time, sometimes it would be a certain bald play-boy, a certain boss of her fathers. And that made her a little scared, and it made her feel a little excited, she wasn't thinking about just Clark anymore. "And as you lay there underneath him, exploring his well muscled body as he slowly brings a hand underneath your shirt, caressing your back, you can't help but shiver at the electricity of his touch, and you begin to moan his name-" "I DO NOT! Now will you shut up?" "Who's name?" a certain familiar voice asked. "Y-"Chloe interrupted quickly before he could embarrass her more, "No one." "Who? it had to be someone." "Why would you care anyways?" "Because I." "Because what? Because you care? That is a load of shit, and you know it." She huffed, walking quickly, "I do care, and it's not a load of shit, and why are you having sex? I thought you were a virgin! And in the newspaper office?" Chloe turned; her anger and her hurt boiling over until she let it speak, letting her tactfulness fall on the floor at her feet. "What does it matter to you Clark where or who I did anything with? You obviously could care less, given recent events!" She could feel her eyes begin to well up with tears, and before she turned into a basket case, took off down the hall. Just as she rounded the corner and neared the little girls' room, she felt a work calloused hand grip her elbow and wheel her around. "You can't love him," Clark said. "And how would you know who I can and can't love? You've been practically oblivious to me whenever Lana happened to walk within the boundaries of your radar!" "Chloe!" Clark yelled, hurt at her sudden anger, "you don't mean that, that's not true, Chloe-"a tear had dropped precariously onto her cheek, and she wiped it away viciously. "Let go of my arm." She stated in that 'don't mess with me' tone. "No Chloe, you have to listen-" She had had enough of this crap, mostly, she'd had enough of herself, crying and carrying on, and she was pissed. She balled her fist and let it swing, catching Clark shoulder. She couldn't bring herself to mar his perfect face. He stepped back, startled by her sudden hostility. "I don't have to listen to shit." She wrenched her arm from his grasp and slammed through the girls' room door.  
  
***************** so what did you think? Pete, frankly, was not supposed to be so lurid. I had no idea he was actually going to be in the chapter, but it turned out to be one of my favourite chapters! 


	2. chapter 4:CHLOE DID WHAT WITH LEX!

Ok, some strangeness in this chapter. Lana and Chloe bond. * "don't shoot me, don't shoot me." she whines at her computer screen* and, I know I'm taking my life into my own hands with this part, but, Lana is not perfect, in fact, I have taken the liberty of making her somewhat less than Jesus incarnate. *sends a prayer up, hoping for some small miracle to save her from the readers who will surely kill her* *********************  
  
Chloe hid in the third stall crying silently, almost wishing that she did have feelings for Lex, simply so the pain she was feeling from Clark would cease. *take your mind off him Chloe, you're better off with no one, you always were* She drilled silently to herself. The roll of toilet paper spun as she ripped off a bit, blowing her nose, and flushed the toilet. She opened the door of the stall, telling herself Clark Kent was simply not worth it, and nearly bulldozed Lana Lang in the process. "Sorry." She muttered, pulling Lana up with one strong pull. "Oh, Chloe, it's okay." She said, straightening her matching sweater set. Chloe cringed inwardly. * I hope to god I am never reduced to wearing a matching sweater set just to get him to notice me* "I saw you go in, and I thought-" "Ahhh. So you saw the fight," Chloe bit her lip, hopping to still the sobbing that felt like taking over. But she wouldn't let it. Nooo, she was Chloe Sullivan, and she would not cry. "I wondered if you wanted to talk." Lana asked, sitting on the counter. Chloe followed suit. "It's been so long since I talked with a girl about my problems. And lately, I seem to be having a lot." "So spill already!" Lana stated, "It's not like I'm going to blab to the whole school." "It's not the whole school I'm worried about." Chloe insinuated. Lana just nodded, "its Clark." "Some one give the lady a prize." Chloe snarked. "So?" Lana pushed. "Well, it all began the night of the dance, when he up and left me for-well, you know." "He saved my life." "He seems to be quite proficient at that." Lana looked down and blushed. "I didn't ask him to come. I don't want to steal him away from you." "That's just it, he's not solely mine." Lana gave a little giggle. "Clark's crush on me, right." "Yeah, that. Well, so he runs off, and I had this feeling something like that would happen, and I made him promise not to, I just thought he would comfort you in your grieving, not save you or anything, so I can't really be mad at that." "Go on," "But I am mad at him. I've been avoiding him for a week." "I've noticed." "He hasn't." "Not true, he has." "Well, last night, I was working late on my Tornado Edition of the Torch, when who walks in but Lex Luthor-" "YOU HAD SEX WITH LEX LUTHOR?" Lana practically screamed, "NO! I DID NOT!" "Then why was Clark saying you did?" "He heard Pete." "So Pete said you had sex with Lex-" "Not with Lex, and he didn't say I had sex with him, he was trying to make me blush, saying all these things that truly should stay in seedy dime novels." "Okay, let me get this straight. Lex came into the torch last night," "Check," "To see you," "Double check," "But you didn't get any." "Right." "So Pete didn't know it was Lex," "Right," "But how could he know either way? Was he there?" "No, I was happy when I got on the bus, and Pete thought that I got some from Clark, but I wouldn't say a word why I was happy, because he hates Lex, and so he thought he could get me to tell by embarrassing me." "I see. So then Clark heard Pete and assumed you lost it last night in the Torch Office." "Bingo." "Ooh." Lana thought for a moment, "Why didn't you just tell him the truth?" "I was more upset that he should actually accuse me doing something like that when he didn't even care enough to finish a stupid dance." "So you decided to torture him?" "A little." She admitted. "Good." Lana stated. Chloe looked over at her shocked. "I do it with Whitney all the time when he gets jealous. It's kind of fun to see him squirm." Chloe let out a nervous laugh, and Lana added, "I'm really not totally good or perfect." "Thank god. I was beginning to believe that you were the second coming of Christ or something." "Yah, like that'll ever be me. So why did Lex visit you?" "I don't know. He said he forgot." Lana snickered. "Yeah. That's the truth." "What do you mean?" Chloe asked, "I mean, for someone who has such a high IQ, you aren't all that smart." "Well.thanks, I'll take that to heart, Miss Head cheerleader." "I mean, he didn't forget, he just wants to get in your pants." "WHAT?" "You are a gorgeous girl, and your smart, and that's probably why," "And you have first hand knowledge of this?" "No, but, Gawd, he is sexy." Lana breathed. "Don't I know it? But he did not come in there to have sex. There was no seduction going on. In fact, I think he came to tell me that the plant is going to stay open," "So you won't have to move?" "Nope!" Chloe stated with joy. Lana reached out and hugged her. "This is great!" She said. "Thanks Lana. To tell you the truth, you're probably the first girl friend I've had since I was eleven." Just then, first bell sounded. They made plans to talk over lunch, and then each headed their own way.  
  
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Lunch came and went, Chloe and Lana talked and joked, both keeping a cautious eye out for Clark. Lana didn't want to ruin this new found closeness with Chloe. Lana would never admit it, but she wished she could be like the reporter, wacky and intuitive and a little snarky, but, remembering the nicodemus incident, found that people preferred sweet Lana to take charge Lana, and in truth, Lana knew she would never be able to pull it off anyways, while Chloe had always wanted to be the prom queen, she found she just couldn't stand being one of the many, just another sheep in the flock. So she was forever the black sheep, and secretly, she thrived off it. School had ended two hours ago, and Chloe sat at her computer, typing furiously, all thoughts of Clark, of the fight, and of lurid love scenes blown out of her mind with the simple task of writing. That was why she loved journalism. When she was writing, there was nothing else, no problems, nothing but the story. ************************ Lex rapped on the door lightly, but it wasn't enough to get Chloe out of her trance. He ambled in, looking like he had just stepped out of one of Pete's romantic musings in a tight cashmere knit sweater and matching black shoes, hidden beneath charcoal Armani pants. If Chloe would have looked up, she would have gasped, and just as with writing, every other thought would have been long gone. But she didn't, and continued typing. Lex smirked, and went over to the coffee machine, where he proffered a Styrofoam cup and some luke warm coffee. He sat down, his smirk turning into a small smile as he wondered if she could spend all her concentration on that, what else she could concentrate on as well. *Lex, she's sixteen. She's your plant manager's daughter.* He must have made a sound, because she looked up, and caching a hitched breath, asked, "Lex? How long have you been there?" her hair was a bit out of place, and she knew she was not looking her best, and dearly wished she had let Lana keep the mirror she had put in the office during her brief stint as editor. God, did he look good. "Long enough to realise you need to get some real coffee," He joked, throwing his cup into the trash. She was bright eyed and a little flushed, and he liked the way her eyes crinkled when she smiled suddenly. "And where would you suggest? The teachers lounge? I have it on good authority that theirs is worse than mine." "What a sad, sad place. I see I'll have to fund it for new coffee machines as well as computers." "An excellent idea Lex." "But for now, the only place I can suggest is the Talon." He offered. "Unfortunately, I need to get this edition out yesterday." She blanched. "I'm just finishing up the editorial, then I need to update the website, and then I need to get the photocopier figured out, either that, or I need to find Pete." "I say, come with me to the talon, get a cup of java, we drive back here, and I fix the photocopier." Chloe's eyes widened, "Lex Luthor? Manual labour? Isn't that illegal?"  
  
"I never did follow the rules." He smirked. "That smirk gets me every time," "And I just thought it was the offer of coffee," "It might be. I am caffeine depraved." "Well in that case," **************** Lex and Chloe hurried into the talon, when, as fate would have it, Lana happened to be working. "Hey Chloe! Lex," She greeted under a heavily laden coffee tray. "I thought you had to finish the Tornado Edition," "I do, but, I'm running on empty here," She stated, walking quickly to the counter. Lana slipped a quick questioning glance at Lex, silently asking what was going on with Chloe and him.  
  
********************* Lex saw Lana's little glance over to him, but he couldn't figure out the significance of it. He watched Chloe shake her head a bit, and then Lana tilted her head quickly. Chloe blushed a little, and nodded. *It's like baseball signals* he thought, frustrated at his own lack of understanding. Girls had this secret language of nods and jerks, blushes and gazes that no man, save a gay one, could possibly understand. If he did understand it though, their silent conversation would have gone something like this:  
  
Lana: what's he doing here with you? Chloe: well he thought he'd kidnap me and hold me for ransom. Lana: does he have the hots for you? Chloe: Nooo.not to my knowledge. Though he has surprisingly good bantering abilities. Lana: Not unlike yourself. Chloe: intrepid reporter. It comes with the territory. Lana: So what about it? Chloe: About what? Lana: any seedy dime novel romantic thoughts pop into your head yet? Chloe: No! Well.yes, but that was simply left over from Pete. Lana: and the caffeine deprivation of course. Chloe: of course. My coffee please?  
  
"What would you like?" Lana asked sweetly, but her eyes had a mischievous glint Lex couldn't help but notice. "Tall espresso cream with double sugar." Chloe supplied. "Tall café latte, one sugar." Lex said, his eyes searching. He had never really pegged the two girls as friends, considering the hostility on the Male front. But, people will surprise you. Chloe couldn't help but grin at the bewildered expression he wore plastered to his usually serene features. *I always thought he was handsome. Definitely hot. But never did I ever think I would see the day when I thought he was cute, but god, it is.* "What?" Lex questioned. "Nothing!" Chloe laughed, snorting into her espresso cream. *fantastic Chloe. Make a fool of yourself. Hell, it always worked with Clark.* She berated herself. She began to head to the door when she remembered what she had been in such a tizzy to ask Lana the next day. Doing a full U-turn, nearly barrelling into Lex and spilling her treasured java, she rushed head on back to the counter. "Lana! I have a very big question to ask you!" "Big?" "Humungous! Massive! Any other adjective that relates to large things!" "Alright, come on to the back," She ushered, looking almost as confused as Lex, who stood staring at their backs as they hurried into the back room. ****************** What's this mysterious question you ask? Why the cliff hanger? Well, read on. 


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